Former business owner who defrauded customers gets 3 years

A man who ran a computer business has been sentenced to 36 months in prison on wire fraud charges related to the theft of more than $800,000 from 434 customers.

Author:
AP , WHAS

Published:
9:52 AM EDT October 9, 2016

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A man who ran a computer business has been sentenced to 36 months in prison on wire fraud charges related to the theft of more than $800,000 from 434 customers.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Louisville says in a release that Mark Allen Hartley devised a scheme to defraud First Citizens Bank and its customers. Hartley, the owner of Patriot Computers, sold computers to customers that they paid for on installment contracts withdrew money directly from their paychecks.

A release from U.S. Attorney John Kuhn says Hartley created fraudulent payment authorization forms and transmitted them to First Citizens Bank, causing the bank to transfer unauthorized payments from victims' paychecks.

The release says the scheme occurred from December 2012 to April 2014. Hartley' will be required to pay $809,205.43 in restitution to his victims.